


Fragile

by oblivionstar



Category: Carole & Tuesday (Anime)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Love Confessions, and feelings, plot spoilers until episode 14
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-10-02
Packaged: 2020-11-02 06:42:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20656289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oblivionstar/pseuds/oblivionstar
Summary: Their way was old-fashioned, sure, considering all the existing AI tech that could make songs in a heartbeat. Yet it was what made it their defining sound and what got them noticed in the first place—with Carole composing and Tuesday writing their lyrics.But that evening, Tuesday suggested they try something a little different.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This’ll mainly be a fluffy fic with 3 or so chapters, but do note that this has spoilers up until episode 14! Everything else mostly falls away from canon.
> 
> s/o to my friend Moth for suggesting I write something for this in the first place! a little encouragement and support went a long way when I wasn’t confident enough to write for a new fandom. :)

Getting through recording sessions with Tobe at the helm was always a grueling experience. It felt even more so, now that he deemed them almost finished with the track list for their first album. After spending many months and many long hours poring over songs to include, just a few more and it would finally be complete.

Unfortunately, though it seemed like they were so close to the finish line, in reality, Tobe’s ruthless high standards made them feel far from it.

The two put a lot of effort into writing and composing each song leading up to that day’s recording session, but to have all, except one, be rejected was disheartening. The one song that _ did _ catch Tobe’s attention had them singing it a staggering number of times—losing count after the sixtieth take—until he was finally satisfied with the outcome. As per usual.

It’d been an exhausting day, to say the least.

Upon returning back to the apartment, Carole made a beeline towards the sofa and collapsed onto her front with a loud groan. “I can’t wait until we get these last few songs over with so we can take a break from working with him already. I’m about to lose it with how many songs he’s passed up.”

She knew Tobe's expertise was a great value to them, since he apparently did produce so many hits back in the day. But couldn’t the man at least show a little consideration to their feelings over his often rude and blunt remarks?

_ That’s just the way some people are in the music industry, I guess, _ Carole reminded herself. A cut-throat world full of people with many personalities and industry ideologies that contrasted with their own. She knew it was basically impossible to get along with everyone.

Of course, Tobe could just be a real asshole, in general too.

A moment passed before Carole felt the other end of the couch sink from Tuesday coming over to sit down. A heavy sigh escaped her, as well. 

“It would be so much easier if we could just do it all ourselves,” she said wistfully, “but we’ve gotten this far already, so we can’t give up now.”

“Yeah, I know.” Carole huffed another sigh and moved to lie on her back, clutching a pillow to her chest. “I just hope this album will do as well as Gus keeps saying it’ll be. That way we can see about working with other producers down the line.”

“Oh! Um, speaking of Gus…” 

“Hm?” Carole tilted her head towards her friend, glancing up. 

“I know he wanted to meet with us tomorrow to discuss our upcoming gigs, but my manager at the Mars-yaki stand put me on for a shift in the afternoon so I won’t be able to make it.”

“Oh, no worries,” Carole reassured her. “I still have the day off, so I can go and then catch you up when you come home.” 

A tingle of warmth settled in her belly when she spoke the last bit. Even more so when Tuesday gave her gratitude with a relieved smile. A simple phrase and gesture that would have meant nothing coming from anyone else, but from her musical partner, it meant the world. Truthfully, it wasn’t a new feeling for her. 

While she only came to terms with it in recent weeks, Carole found she’d been filled with thoughts like those for a while now. Distracted thoughts of how cute Tuesday’s mannerisms could be, of how lovely her voice was whenever she spoke or sang, or of how little gestures, like simply looking out for each other, meant more than they probably ought to. It quickly became clear to her of the strong feelings she harboured for the other girl. Realizing it had sent her through a loop of emotions.

Contemplating whether to confess those feelings and how she would do it was a different story, though. Tuesday was her best friend and their friendship meant too much for her to ruin or lose if things went south. 

Still, her feelings were something Carole couldn’t quite get off her mind no matter how hard she tried, considering how much time they spent together. The best she could do was cram them aside, while they focused on their album. Their pursue for music stardom was one of their top priorities at the moment, after all.

Carole averted her gaze when she realized she’d been silent for a prolonged beat. If she stared too long, Tuesday was sure to eventually notice and point out. That was a conversation best left for another day.

“A-Anyway, it’ll be great once we both don’t have to work part-time anymore. As much as I keep ribbing on Tobe, I’m still glad we have him helping us, since he’s supposed to be a _ legendary producer_.”

Her tone took on an edge of gruffness, trying to imitate what Gus sounded like. It was a poor attempt, but she considered her efforts rewarded when Tuesday started giggling. The sound alone set off another flurry of butterflies within. 

“We should probably plan our next objective with these last songs,” Tuesday said, once the moment of amusement passed. “You still have some compositions I need to add lyrics to, right?”

“Oh, yeah!” With renewed vigour, Carole sat up and swung her feet to the floor. “So a few of them are basically complete, except for a couple that I’m still working on. Give me a second and I’ll show you.”

She quickly dashed towards the stairs, into the loft area, and rummaged underneath her mattress for her loose sheets of sheet music. One of these days she’d make sure to organize them properly in a folder or drawer. For now, she gathered them up and returned to her friend, handing them off for Tuesday to inspect while she went about setting up her keyboard.

Nothing would beat moments like these— where it was just the two of them, focused on creating songs together like it was all that mattered. They’d first go over the chords, before Carole would start humming a melody to the piano line she’d written, while Tuesday would follow strumming her guitar, harmonizing and adding in lyrics here and there. It was the most fun Carole ever had, nowadays.

Their way was old-fashioned, sure, considering all the existing AI tech that could make songs in a heartbeat. Yet it was what made it their defining sound and what got them noticed in the first place—with Carole composing and Tuesday writing lyrics. 

But that evening, Tuesday suggested they try something a little different.

“You know, I was thinking of something earlier while we were recording,” she said, propping her guitar against the couch next to her.

“What’s up?”

“Maybe you should try writing the lyrics for a song on the album too.”

Carole went tense at the idea. “Me? But, why?”

There was a brief silence before Tuesday spoke again, eyes downcast. “I just think...maybe Tobe’s grown tired of what I’ve had to offer. Maybe he’s looking for something different, this time.”

“Hey, no, that’s not true at all, Tue! Your lyrics are what’s gotten us this far since the beginning.” Carole scooted closer on the couch to the other girl, laying a comforting hand on her back. “Tobe’s just a grumpy old man who’s been more of an ass, lately. Besides, I’m not very good at writing like you are. It would just sound like a bunch of nonsense, coming from me.”

“Have you ever tried to before?” Tuesday asked, meeting her gaze. 

“Ah, well...maybe once.” Carole looked away, grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of her neck. “I scrapped it almost right away, though, because it wasn’t that great.”

These days, her extents to writing lyrics was to just throw out ideas for Tuesday whenever she had a writer’s block. Those however, mostly consisted of silly words to get the other girl to laugh. Writing a song now, completely by herself, felt like a tall order.

“What did you write about that time?” Tuesday asked.

“Eh, I don’t really remember. Something corny, I think, but that was a long time ago before I even met you.”

Tuesday gave her a gentle smile. “Well, I still think you should give it a shot since that was ages ago. Maybe some of my writing has rubbed off on you since then!” She plucked at her guitar’s strings lightly. “I’ve actually been thinking of dabbling into composing a bit, too.”

With a raised brow, Carole grinned mischievously. “Are you thinking of quitting our duo to go solo now, is that it?”

“W-What? No, not at all!” An immediate flush took to Tuesday’s cheeks. “Getting to make music with you has been the best thing that’s happened to me, and it’s become one of my favourite things to do. It wouldn’t feel the same doing it on my own, after what we’ve accomplished together.”

Even in a flustered state, Tuesday could still be so sincere and honest. Her sentiments always had Carole feeling warm all over, even now. “Hey, I’m just teasing, Tue. I think it’s always great to try something new.” She paused. “And well, now that I’ve said that, I guess I _ could _ give your suggestion a shot.”

A glimmer of hope lit up Tuesday’s face as she leaned closer. “Really?”

“Sure, I could try.”

The other girl squealed in excitement and threw her arms around Carole, hugging her tightly. “Yes! Thank you, Carole!”

Carole tried her best to stop the impending blush from settling on her cheeks. “Uh, so what do you think I should I write about?”

“Anything you want!” Tuesday exclaimed, pulling back and letting her hands fall to her lap. She still remained close enough for Carole to count her freckles, though. “You can bring out your inner poet or make a story out of anything, or even just reflect on a feeling. It’s how I’ve been doing it for our songs, anyway.”

Carole brought a finger to her chin. “I don’t know if I have much of an inner poet in me, but I’ll try my best. No promises that it’ll turn out very good, though, since this’ll be a first for me.”

“Of course! And I can help out with anything, too, if you'd like.”

But once all was settled and they turned in for the evening, Carole knew that she couldn’t ask for Tuesday’s help, no matter how much she thought she would probably need it. Especially not once she decided her song would sing the feelings she held for the other girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Her meeting with Gus, as well as Roddy tagging along, the next day had them conferring around the living space in the apartment. A box of pizza was sitting on the low table between them that Gus had so kindly provided on his way over.

“...and the next gig you’ll be performing after the Friday will happen later that weekend, I’m not too sure exactly when yet,” he was telling Carole as she reached for another slice. “The organizers over there said they wanted at least ‘Army Of Two’ in your setlist, though—which you’ll have to send me as soon as you can, by the way.”

She gave a small nod of understanding. “Right. I’ll talk it over with Tuesday later.”

Since releasing their first single, she and Tuesday had been receiving more offers to perform for audiences willing to have them around the city. Most were only small venues, however, so the payout wasn’t all that substantial. But it was nice and more fulfilling to get to share their music with people actually wanting to listen to what they had now. And still, Gus did his best to schedule gigs while allowing them to work part-time shifts and time in between to work on their album. 

Or so she thought.

“Oh, also, Tobe called me earlier today,” he said, swiping through his phone without glancing up, “and said the tentative date to meet with him again with new songs is by the end of the month.”

Carole nearly dropped her slice when she heard him. “Wait, what?!” She stared at her manager with bewildered eyes. “What do you mean ‘_end of the month_’? That’s in less than two weeks and we barely have anything to show, yet! Doesn’t he know these things take time?”

“That _ does _ seem kind of soon, considering how I heard things went yesterday,” Roddy chimed in from his seat. “Did he really reject most of the stuff you showed him?”

“Yeah, it was brutal. And now he wants us to come up with more, just like that.”

“Well, you two’ve been churning them out like wildfire so far, which is pretty impressive, I gotta say,” Gus said, “but trust me when I also say that Tobe knows what to look for once you show it.”

“Easier said than done,” Carole grumbled, before taking a bite of her food. She was dreading the fact that she was going to have to break the news to Tuesday, later.

“It's still only a tentative schedule, you know. I can try convincing him to give you more time, if you don’t think you’ll make that deadline.”

“Gus, you’d be a lifesaver if you can. ‘Cause we need all the time we can get and for this song I said I’d write lyrics for.”

At that, Roddy was surprised. “You’re doing lyrics now, too?”

“Just the one, for now.” She went on to explain the conversation from the other night that led up to the whole matter, but chose to leave out the details over the subject of her song. They didn’t need to know any of that information.

“I’ve been racking my brain all morning on how to go about it, but I don’t really know how to start,” Carole admitted afterwards. There was too much for her to say that simply dumping all her feelings into words, without making sense of them all, really wouldn’t make for a great song to listen to.

She paused for a brief moment. “You guys wouldn’t happen to have any pointers on how to get started, would you?”

Roddy frowned, shaking his head. “Afraid I’m not much of a lyricist or writer myself, sorry. I only really know how to operate the AI during Ertegun’s performances.”

She figured that would’ve been the case with him, so instead, she directed her gaze at her manager. “What about you, Gus? You used to be in a band, yeah?”

To her disappointment, Gus answered with a shrug. “To be honest, I’m just as clueless on that as you are. I was really just that band’s drummer.”

“Seriously? Not even one?”

“Sorry, kiddo, I just wasn’t much of a poetic wordsmith. Not then and definitely not now.” 

“You have to remember that his band was mostly an underground name, back in his day,” Roddy said, “so I doubt their music was even any good.”

“Hey, just because all those articles online say we weren’t much of a success, doesn’t mean our music didn’t reach anyone at all.”

“And I’m sure all those people have already forgotten what they heard by now.”

Gus clicked his tongue in annoyance at Roddy’s smug expression. “Listen here, Roddy, I’ll have you know we were actually called a ‘hidden gem in the sea’, a handful of times, which back then meant a high amount of praise and...”

Carole tuned out when Gus started rambling on about the old days, which somehow escalated into an argument between him and Roddy over something unrelated. It wasn’t a common occurrence, thankfully, though it did bore her to have to listen in on when they got like this. If only Tuesday were there, too, then she at least wouldn’t have to sit through it alone.

And after finishing her slice of pizza, it was as if her prayers for sweet salvation were being answered. For moments later, her phone began to vibrate in her pocket. When she checked to see what it was, a wide grin broke out over her lips. 

Tuesday had sent an image of an AI dog on a leash, with her hand petting its head, and a message reading, _‘just made a new friend!’_

Without hesitation, Carole typed out a response.

_ [texting AND taking pics on the job? hope your boss doesn’t find out ;) ] _

She didn’t have to wait long for a reply to come through. 

_ Tue: :( _

_ Tue: i’m on my break now!!! _

_ Tue: and I thought you’d appreciate it because I already went and posted it to our instagram _

_ Tue: it was so cute! _

The last message ended with a couple of hearts that melted Carole’s in an instant. 

_ [you’re adorable Tue] _

_ [but that definitely was a cute one! way cuter than some of the AI dogs I’ve had to walk before] _

She was staring at the little speech bubble that popped up in the bottom corner when she heard Roddy call out her name. 

“Huh? What?” Lifting her head, she saw that he and Gus were now looking at her intently, apparently finished with whatever they’d been arguing about.

“Something interesting on your phone there? You know we’re still in a meeting.” It sounded like a scolding, but Gus’ amused expression told her otherwise.

“Right, yeah, but it’s just Tue. She sent me a picture of an AI dog.” 

Carole went ahead and angled her phone screen to show them the picture in question, but only Roddy leaned in to look.

“Whoa, is that a new model?” he asked. “I’ve never seen that one before.”

Gus merely shrugged with disinterest. “Eh, you see one, you’ve seen ‘em all. It’s a real shame you don’t see real dogs in the city that much. I’d prefer those over the AI ones, any day.”

Carole narrowed her gaze. “I’m telling her you said that.”

“Now, hold on, we have to—”

“Tell her I say hi,” Roddy interrupted with a grin, “and that I disagree with Gus completely.”

As Carole relayed the messages back to the other girl, she couldn’t help but smirk a little hearing Gus muttering something about ‘teenagers’ in exasperation.

A moment later she received Tuesday’s reply.

_ Tue: tell Roddy I say hi too and Gus needs to stop being a spoilsport! _

_ Tue: I actually have to get back to work now though, so I’ll see you at home!! _

Another set of hearts followed the last message, many more than the previous, this time.

It wasn’t unusual for Tuesday to end her messages with a string of hearts, but God did they send Carole through a whirl of emotions. That girl was going to be the end of her one day for sure, if her own feelings of pining weren’t going to do the job.

“Why don’t you ask Tuesday about helping you with your song, by the way?” Roddy suggested as he reached towards the pizza box. “She basically is the resident expert between all of us.”

Carole went stiff at the suggestion. She’d been hoping neither of them would bring that up. “I, uh, can’t.”

There was another brief silence, this one more deafening with Gus and Roddy both staring at her in confusion.

“Why not?”

“Uh, well—!” Carole averted her gaze, quickly trying to come up with a believable excuse. “She’s...busy, or, uh, she _ will _ be busy,” she clarified. Well, it wasn’t entirely untrue.

Thankfully, Gus seemed to buy it.

“Hm, I guess that’s understandable,” he agreed with her, “but I reckon she’d at least give you some tips, if you asked.”

Roddy, on the other hand, was still looking at her with uncertainty. “Right...well, do you at least know what you’ll be writing about?”

“Yeah.” 

_ Oh, crap_. Carole froze right after she spoke, automatically. That should have been the opposite of what to reply with to get them off the subject. But under their now expectant gazes, she knew there was no avoiding it any further. 

With a deep breath in and out, Carole said, “The song is...for her, actually, and I wanted it to be a surprise.”

Her cheeks grew warm, waiting for them to respond. She wasn’t ashamed to have to admit it, exactly, but more embarrassed if she’d get teased for it—she’d had enough of that kind of treatment during her younger days, for other reasons, before she learned to toughen up. To her surprise, that didn’t seem to be the case here at all.

“For Tuesday, huh?” Gus gripped his chin in contemplation. “Well, if it’s going to be like that, you could easily look to other songs that are out there to get some inspiration on what you want your angle to be. That’s one way to approach it if you’re stuck.”

Roddy glanced over to him with a raised brow. “I thought you said you didn’t have a clue on songwriting.”

“That doesn’t mean I don’t want to help. I’m managing these two’s music careers here, and I want to see both of them succeed.”

At some point through the discussion, Gus had even suggested looking to Tobe for help. Considering he ought to have experience producing a variety of songs, it made sense, at first. But when Carole thought back to how intense their recording sessions usually were, she knew she wouldn’t get anywhere bouncing ideas off him either, even if she wanted to.

In the end, only some of their talk sounded really useful but she appreciated their effort, anyway. Above all else, however, she was most glad that they didn’t decide to press further for details of why she chose to write for Tuesday, in the first place. 

Perhaps it just didn’t need to be said, though it did worry her to think maybe her feelings were somehow obvious to them. It would explain why they didn’t exactly act surprised. Still, unless they said anything on the matter, she chose not to be too concerned and simply appreciated that her friends were considerate more than anything.

* * *

Later that day, it came as a pleasant surprise when Tuesday arrived home with a gift for her—a journal, similar to the one she kept for her own songwriting endeavours. Carole didn’t think the other girl would actually pull through, when she joked that owning one must’ve been the secret to the skill.

“It’s for whenever the inspiration strikes, really,” Tuesday had said to her. “Because who knows? Maybe even after this first one you’ll want to write something again in the future. I hope you like it!”

Her friend was the sweetest person in the world, truly. 

However, even with the new gift, Carole didn’t get much progress, or any at all, that evening when she forced herself to sit and think. So, she swore to try again the next morning. 

With Ziggy's help, she woke early and went down to the kitchen to grab something to drink before getting started. But glancing over towards the sofa along the way, made her pause. A fond smile tugged at her lips at the sight before her.

It was always endearing to see, on some mornings, obvious signs that Tuesday had stayed up late into the night because she had the sudden inspiration to write. Or perhaps this time it was due to the tentative, yet sudden deadline for their next round of songs. Either way, Tuesday had fallen asleep with her journal lying open on her chest, while her favourite pen had dropped to the floor where her arm was hanging off the couch. 

As silently as possible, Carole crept over to pick up both items. It would do them no good if Tuesday became distraught over misplacing the special pen or rolling over and accidentally crumpling the pages of her journal. Both had happened before, a couple of times.

Carole made to place them on the low table when she decided to take a peek as to what lyrics the other girl had come up with the evening before. For curiosity's sake.

On first glance, the already opened pages were simply filled with phrases and various crossed out words, here and there. Cute little doodles were drawn in some blank spaces, as well. Nothing out of the ordinary, really. Circled in the top-most edge of the page on the right was a note that read, _ 'do a little guitar intro for this one!’ _

And then, Carole started to read the actual lyrics:

_ ‘It’s hard to be a normal person that’s just not me _

_ I'm writing a journal to keep my feelings hiding…’ _

_ ‘If I was born to make you happy, I’ll be ready _

_ No matter how you feel, I’ll always be your buddy…’ _

_ ‘A humming melody woke up the soul in me…’ _

_ ‘Don’t make me say that I don’t love you…' _

Her eyes went wide. She was well aware by now that Tuesday’s approach to songwriting was to describe their feelings towards their shared experiences. The first song they’d ever written together was a perfect example of just that: a real reflection on their inner thoughts before they first met. Since then, all their songs had been pretty tame in their meanings and what they represented.

These words now, though, felt like something else entirely. Like they were something deeply intimate and personal to the other girl. Most notably when Carole read a particular set of phrases Tuesday had drawn asterisks around, unlike the others:

_ ‘Kiss me before sunrise, or I’m leaving you tonight _

_ My love found a place to stay and rest like bed _

_ Always and forever, meant to be together…' _

There was a soft flutter in Carole’s stomach when she glanced back at Tuesday and many questions began to form in her head. How long had she been sitting on these words for? Did Tuesday perhaps have feelings for someone? If so, who? Thinking about it in that sense made the flutter in her stomach turn into an uncomfortable lurch.

Because it was painfully obvious that those lyrics were of the romantic sort, and she couldn’t quite think of anyone who was as close to Tuesday as she was. 

That was when Carole’s train of thought came to a halt, when she considered that someone to be herself. And like a newly lit fire, the sudden spark of inspiration finally came to her. 

She closed the journal and placed it on the table before going back up the stairs for her own. 

A sliver of hope was enough to get Carole started and decide what angle she wanted to take with her song. Even if it wasn’t the case that her feelings were reciprocated at all, she’d at least sing hoping that they were—as a sort of indirect answer to how she interpreted Tuesday’s lyrics.

It wasn’t quite what Gus had advised, but Carole supposed some part of their discussion became useful to her, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As far as I know, ‘Kiss Me’ hasn’t been featured in any of the episodes like ‘Hold Me Now’ has, besides being the OP. I thought then that it’d be cool if it became a song Tuesday eventually writes for them too. (hello Bones? Open up I just want to talk to you all for a sec)
> 
> Also I ended up changing this fic’s title because it’s been bothering me that I didn’t stick to the one-word naming convention I’ve done for my other fics. But do give ‘Fragile’ by DJ Okawari and Celeina Ann (Tuesday’s singing voice) a [listen](https://youtu.be/PxdLZ4a6gP8)! I think it’s a really nice song. :)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Between their work and venue gigs, almost all of their time was dedicated to getting new songs ready for their next meeting with Tobe. Thankfully, he’d been swayed by Gus to actually give them an extra week and a half from the original schedule. It may not have been much, but it was something they gladly accepted. 

Maybe the old man had a considerate bone, after all—though Carole didn’t let herself dwell on the notion. He was still too much of a hard-ass on them, through and through. 

Still, she appreciated that the extension meant for more time to get her song ready and face up to the difficulties that came with it.

Unsurprisingly, just deciding her angle had been the least of her worries over the whole process. The real hurdle lay with Carole never really having any first-hand knowledge with big romantic gestures to begin with. Having grown up without being close to that many people meant any cursory experiences with crushes or infatuations were fleeting. All that she did know came mainly from basic observations, like seeing couples out on the streets or watching those sappy romantic movies Tuesday happened to enjoy. 

They weren’t really to her preference, but Carole liked sitting through them just to see her friend’s expressions every time certain scenes got to her, as if she were getting lost in them herself. It was no wonder she was so great at writing their lyrics. 

Taking what Gus had said into further consideration, Carole found her only useful point of reference was listening to songs by her favourite artists. Songs that sang of love, each with their brilliantly heartfelt phrases, in time with soft melodies that serenaded the listener to feel what was being expressed—like the feeling of an unbreakable bond or giving someone the world.

She knew it was a stretch to think her first foray into writing song lyrics would ever reach those heights, but they still gave her the inspiration and motivation to try exploring her feelings the same way.

Realizing that had Carole often thinking about the lyrics she’d seen in Tuesday’s journal—but only to recall the words for research, of course. It was definitely not because the thought of kissing the other girl often popped up in her head now, after reading them. 

Thoughts like what it would be like to kiss Tuesday, or if she’d she ever even kissed someone before? Because Carole, herself, had never kissed anyone. How did one even initiate something like that?

It was thoughts like those that had a habit of getting her flustered when they came up at the most inopportune times—namely during a rehearsal at one of their venues. Carole received many strange looks when she missed a crucial sound check cue, because she’d been distracted by Tuesday’s singing and her own daydreaming in the moment. It was an embarrassing ordeal trying to come up with an excuse. One that she’d never live down. 

Lucky for her, those periods of daydreaming turned out to be the ideal headspace to work on her song. 

And though it turned out to be a difficult task to get through, after spending many hours trying to find the right words and ensuring each line flowed into the next, Carole’s hard work eventually came to a finish. Just days before they were to meet with Tobe again, too.

There was still room for improvement, but she felt proud for accomplishing what she set out for her song. Hopefully, Tuesday would see it, too.

The evening after was when Carole asked the other girl if she’d want to sit out on the apartment’s roof, to rehearse their songs and finally give a listen to the one she’d written. Tuesday agreed to the request, right away.

“I’ve been waiting for you to say the word, ever since you told me it was going to be a surprise!”

Carole smiled a little sheepishly as she climbed atop the storage lockers in the loft area. “I just wanted to see how I’d fare with it on my own.” She adjusted the strap of her keyboard over her shoulder before reaching down to help with Tuesday’s guitar case. “But I really have to hand it to you, Tue, because writing just this one song took a lot out of me. Now I’m even more impressed by how you manage to come up with so many in the same amount of time.” 

“I could say the same with you, actually.” 

“What do you mean?”

Tuesday took a moment to climb onto the storage lockers next to her. “After you said you were going to write lyrics, I decided to finally try composing something by myself, too, in secret. And it made me realize just how much I rely on you to make up our melodies that I only have to write for.”

“You’ve been making a song too? How’s it been working out?”

There was a small flutter in Carole’s stomach. She sounded surprised, but she’d had her suspicions for a while, now. For not once, in the weeks since, did Tuesday ever bring up those lyrics Carole had seen in her journal. It was a curious thing to her, but she could now see why that was. 

“To be honest, I wrote some words down before even thinking of how it should go, so it’s been a slow process,” Tuesday gave a small laugh, “but I think I’m getting there.”

“Hey, that’s still pretty amazing, Tue. I can’t wait to hear it when you do finish it.”

Even in the dim light, she swore she saw a blush matting her friend’s cheeks. 

“Oh! That reminds me—” Carole paused to open the skylight window and haul herself out with practiced ease. “Are you _ sure _ you don’t want to put in a lyric or two dissing Tobe in one of our songs? I’m telling you, he won’t even notice!”

The immediate furrow of Tuesday’s brows had Carole grinning wide. “Carole, I told you we can’t!”

“We just have to make it subtle!”

Her face of exasperation was absolutely adorable. “If you really want to, then maybe you should make your next song all about it. But I’ll have no say or credit to whatever you come up with.”

“Maybe I will, then, and it’ll be the best thing. The first song on our next album, too, how about that?” Carole kept her smile up as she reached out her hand. “Here.” 

Tuesday gave an amused eyeroll and handed off her guitar case through the window. “We’ll see about that, but I’m not making any promises!”

She used Carole’s hand to boost herself up, soon after. All the while, Carole kept a careful eye on her friend as she climbed her way onto the roof beside her. Tuesday wasn’t as agile at these things as she was, but it was relieving to see the way up was easier for her now, with the many times they’d done it already.

Once they were sure of their footing, they carefully made their way across the slanted rooftop, towards the stairs leading up to one of their favourite spots to write songs together. 

Tuesday breathed a wistful sigh. “Oh, I can never get enough of the view from up here!”

There was a bounce in her step while she set her case down and went to lean against the metal railing. The view from their vantage point looked across the roofs of other buildings towards the sparkling river under the city’s bridge, with the orange hue in the sky providing a nice backdrop to be admired, as well.

Yet Carole was only concerned with staring at the beautiful girl in front of her and the way she looked with the sunset. At the same time, she set up her keyboard so that it stood upright on its legs. In truth, the view was only just a moment’s distraction from how nervous she suddenly felt, now that they were up there. 

Putting her feelings into words when writing her song had been cathartic, in a way, but it was a terrifying thought to finally be showing them to the person they were meant for. For even now, Carole was still having second thoughts over what would come out of confessing like this. They were worries that plagued her already but felt like they were coming at her in full force now. 

If anything, she simply wanted to get the weight off her chest and at least know for sure if she was a fool for thinking her feelings would ever go reciprocated. Because what if the lyrics in Tuesday’s journal actually _ were _ written for someone else? 

But to have that ease of mind, she needed to make the first step and hope for the best. Or expect the worst. Or maybe just not go through with it at all!

A light touch to her hand was what brought Carole out of her spiraling thoughts. Tuesday was standing beside her now, with a look of concern on her face. 

“Carole, you’re shaking.”

Carole blinked and slowly glanced down at her fingers hovering over the keys, now noticing that they were indeed shaking a little. She slowly clenched them into fists. 

“Sorry. Just some nerves getting to me.” She put on her best reassuring smile. “I guess I’m just thinking the song’s not as polished as it could be.”

“I’m sure you’ve done a great job with it, no matter how you think it’s turned out.”

“You haven’t even heard it yet, though.”

The other girl gave her a gentle smile, one that never failed to warm Carole’s entire being. “No, but I can tell that you’ve worked really hard on it. That’s all that matters, right now, right? And besides, we can polish it up together after you’ve showed it to me, if you’d like.”

Somewhere in the back of her head, Carole knew she liked the sound of that.

“Just think like how we always rehearse! You’ve got this, I believe in you.”

Taking Tuesday’s words to heart, Carole let out a deep, calming breath to steel herself and try to put aside her worries. It was too late to back out, now, she knew. All she had to do was simply sing her feelings as honestly and sincerely as she meant for them to be. What came after, she would deal with in time. 

“Okay, I think I’m ready.”

She spared one last glance at Tuesday, who stepped back a bit and patiently stood with her hands clasped in front of her. 

Then, Carole turned her attention to playing her opening chord progression.

She knew right from the beginning that hers would be a slow piece—meant to set a calming mood with a gentle rhythm and light flourish of piano keys, every now and then, so that her lyrics would be the main focus. It was a few measures in when she closed her eyes and began to sing, letting her voice ring soft and clear.

_ “Never thought I’d find you _

_ When we both felt so alone _

_ You held a hand out for me _

_ And I knew I found my home…” _

Although they were subtle, her words described the longing for a love’s affections, and wanting to be their way home in the darkest of nights. To be the sole keeper to their heart, should they decide to lay it all down and let it be so. 

Her voice remained steady, just as the rest of her felt in the moment, oddly enough. Singing always brought a sense of comfort and ease to her, and right then was no different.

_ “‘Cause I’d keep a light on for you _

_ When your path won’t shine as bright _

_ If your pulse is racing _

_ I’ll be here to hold you tight... _

_ Now it’s been forever _

_ My heart’s wanted this for too long _

_ So if we’re together _

_ Know I’ll never treat you wrong...” _

All were promises that sang of Carole’s own wishes. Because Tuesday was that kind of light in the dark, for her. Having been on her own for most of her life, with no real place to call home or anyone to call a family, all their time spent together was like a far-off dream coming to fruition. Now, home was with her no matter where that meant. And the family of friends they’d made, that Carole came to cherish so deeply on this journey together, had all started with her. Her and their chance encounter on the bridge. 

Never would she have expected for all that had happened, within the past year, to stem from that single moment. There was no other person Carole would rather want to share it with, either, in whatever capacity that meant, now. She could only hope that the feeling was mutual.

After only a few minutes that really felt like much longer, her song was approaching its end. Carole chanced a look towards the other girl and was greeted with a warm smile that she returned, finally singing the last few lines. 

_ “I’ve been afraid _

_ But hoping you’d see _

_ With you is where I want to be…” _

She let the final cadence ring for several beats, before lifting her hands off the keys. Just like that, her song was over. It was only then that it began to sink in over what she’d just done.

But before she could dwell on the thought, the sound of clapping caught her ears and then Tuesday’s arms came around her for a celebratory hug. 

“Carole, that was so beautiful! And amazing! I knew you could do it, see?”

Though her cheeks felt warm, Carole returned the hug with a relieved grin. “Hey, it wasn’t easy, you know. That still took me weeks to pull off.” She let go to look her friend in the eye. “But thanks, Tue, I’m really glad that you think so.”

In that moment, something seemed to click for her. She still had her worries and doubts about confessing, but riding off the high after singing her song overpowered that negative energy. They made her think that maybe now was the best time to get her feelings off her chest, and finally know for sure if everything was all for naught. 

Which is exactly what she decided to do, saying, “That song is...dedicated to you, after all.”

Tuesday’s sharp gasp was impossible to miss, with her eyes going wide and her expression turning into one of utter shock. “What…?”

Carole tried her best to keep a gentle smile.

“I’ve told you before how glad I am to have met you all those months ago,” she began, trying to keep her voice steady, “because every day since has been the best days of my life, with someone as amazing and kind as you, to share them with. Everything in my song is me saying some of the ways you make me feel, whenever you’re around, and that I’ve been thinking about for a while now. And, um, there are other things I wish I could’ve included, like how I think you’re really brave for having the guts to come to this city all by yourself, and that when you sing, I'm always reminded of how I’ve found what was missing after meeting you. And—” 

Carole was rambling—that much she could tell —and still, she had so much more to say on that train of thought, now that it was all coming out. Like how Tuesday was the first person to really understand her and not judge where she came from or anything about her past. Or that she was one of the first persons to really go out of their way to show how much she really cared and appreciated her. 

But she chose to forego them, in favour of saying, “I-I guess what I’m really trying to say is that I’ve grown to love you for all of it. And more. As more than a friend.”

Perhaps it was a little cliché on her part to have said it all like that—she blamed all those sappy romance movies for putting it in her head—but that didn’t stop her from saying them as sincerely as she could muster. 

Her smile turned a little sad, however, when she averted her gaze. “But it’s okay if you don’t feel the same way, Tue, because I don’t want you to feel obligated or anything to have to return them, so it’s—”

Carole was struck into silence when Tuesday’s arms circled around her neck in a sudden embrace again. She stood frozen on the spot until she heard a sob and realized the other girl was crying into her shoulder. Immediate concern overcame her as she wrapped her arms around her friend, pulling her closer. The proximity was dizzying now, but that hardly mattered when she was trying to piece what just happened. 

“Tue? H-Hey, why are you crying?”

“I just—!“ Tuesday’s voice hitched with a sob. 

Then, to her surprise, Carole heard her suddenly laugh. She had her brows furrowed in confusion when Tuesday pulled back to look at her again, tears in her eyes but also a smile on her lips. 

“I thought for sure that you didn’t feel the same way.” 

Carole’s brain short-circuited. Several beats passed for the words to sink in, and her eyes went wide. “Uh, hold on—you mean—?”

Tuesday wiped at her eyes and laughed again, albeit nervously. “I-I love you, too, Carole,” she echoed the words back. “I have for a while now, but I...didn’t want to assume anything with what your song was about. Or who it may have been for.”

Carole was openly gaping, but her heart was growing fuller by the second with the immensely surprising turn of events. She could feel herself starting to get emotional, too. 

Gently, she reached for one of Tuesday’s hands with her own. “I meant all of what I said just now and in the song, Tue. Honestly.”

“I know.”

Carole brushed away some more tears that fell from Tuesday’s eyes, melting at the sight of her growing smile.

To think her feelings had actually been reciprocated this whole time? It seemed so surreal when she’d been steeling herself for rejection. For Carole now felt like such a fool—but an overjoyed one, in the moment.

Maybe she’d interpreted those lyrics in the journal correctly, after all. But, just to be sure—

“I have another confession, actually, Tue,” she said when the other girl’s tears began to subside.

Tuesday sniffled. “Huh?”

“I took a peek in your journal, one morning, and...happened to read some lyrics that you were still in the middle of writing,” Carole admitted. “And I’m kinda curious to know, now, if they were about me?”

“O-Oh. Um, which ones?”

“Something about...kissing you before sunrise? Or else you’d leave tonight, I think is how they—”

“You read _ those?!_” Tuesday’s voice grew higher pitched than normal. Her cheeks became very red with how hard she was blushing now. And Carole laughed when she buried her face in her hands. 

“I actually thought they were pretty good lyrics, though!”

It took a second for Tuesday to recover and move her hands away, but she didn’t dare to look Carole in the eye. “That song...is the one I’ve been trying to compose for and meant to surprise _ you _ with, when I finished it, so I could tell you in the same way how I felt, but...”

“Would you like me to do it?”

That made Tuesday look up. “What?” 

Carole shifted a little on her feet, hesitantly taking both of Tuesday’s hands in her own. “Um, I mean, can I kiss you?”

Another prolonged beat came between them. Tuesday’s eyes flickered from Carole’s, to her lips, and then back up—twice. All the while, her intense blush never let up.

Even as she quietly said, “I’d like it a lot if you did.”

And so, Carole did.

Their first kiss was more of a soft press of her lips against Tuesday’s, for she didn’t exactly know what she was doing and neither did the other girl, it seemed. But her heart was racing all the same. And when she felt Tuesday press back, her heart went soaring.

Being this close to her and thinking about the softness of her lips against her own, truly set in stone that Carole’s feelings had actually been returned. That it actually happened. It was a feeling she couldn’t compare to anything else. 

When they pulled away, Carole stayed close to lean her forehead against Tuesday’s. She smiled fondly, seeing that familiar shyness in the other girl’s eyes that was always so endearing. She had the urge to kiss her again for it.

“So, does this mean you won’t be leaving tonight, like you wrote in your song?” 

Tuesday blinked once before her eyes went wide. “I-I didn’t really mean I would!”

Carole burst into laughter when Tuesday hid her face against her shoulder this time. She kissed the side of Tuesday’s head as her arms circled around her form, savouring this newfound feeling of just getting to hold Tuesday closely. 

“I love you so much, Tue.”

Carole knew she was never going to tire of getting to say that. Nor would hearing Tuesday say them back.

She didn’t care so much, now, if her song wouldn't get picked up for their album. Because just knowing that Tuesday loved her, as well, was a whole other kind of momentous and joyous occasion on its own. 

And considering the nature of her song, that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bonus easter egg s/o to anyone who can figure out what song Carole’s is based off of! It was actually one of the inspirations that got me wanting to write this in the first place. 
> 
> As a hint: it’s a song from one of the later episodes, but with changes to the actual lyrics to fit the purposes here. And so I don’t legit spoil for anyone who’s not caught up. But please don’t feel like you have to right away if you don’t know, though! I just like to think that later on in this AU, they’d eventually change up the lyrics so that they’re closer to what they actually are. :)
> 
> Also Carole would totally help with the ‘Kiss Me’ song because that’s literally their song (HELLO BONES?)
> 
> Once again, thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who’s commented or left a kudos! It’s been such a blast exploring these characters. I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I did getting to write it!


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